With the primary election hours away, presidential hopeful Donald Trump will appear at a rally at West Chester University on Monday, April 25, at 4 p.m., and officials from the Borough of West Chester want to warn area residents about the possible traffic impact.
Donald Trump is due at West Chester University at 4 p.m on Monday, April 25, and traffic delays are expected in the area.
“We are hoping the impact on our residents is minimal,” said a borough email. “We expect that this event will draw a significant number of people.”
To alleviate the traffic congestion and delays expected between 1 and 5 p.m., the borough will open the garages adjacent to the university on New Street and on Sharpless Street. The rally will take place at WCU’s Hollinger Field House at 4 p.m., which holds about 3,700 people, according to the university.
“We would suggest avoiding travel on Church Street, south of Price Street, and Sharpless Street from New to High Street.
“We will do our best to keep you notified,” the email said. “The venue opens at 1 p.m. There will be a large security and police presence in the area. Security will be strictly enforced during this event. Thank you for your understanding and patience.”
The dream of strolling across the Brandywine Creek at the bridge near Fairville Road in Chadds Ford, stopping to view an art exhibit or admire the scenic vistas, and then taking a break to dine, shop or visit another attraction inched forward last week.
Despite an apparent hiatus of nearly a year, Walkable Chadds Ford remains a work in progress, said some of its organizers. Chadds Ford Township Manager Amanda Serock explained that a lot of work had to be done behind the scenes before the project could move forward, such as obtaining a $59,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation.
On Thursday, May 21, the first Action Committee meeting was held in the township building, attracting about a dozen participants, including a representative from PennDOT and the Delaware County Planning Department.
In May 2015, the Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors accepted the Walkable Chadds Ford Village Master Plan, which aims to connect the village’s myriad offerings by adding pedestrian-friendly walkways and beckoning prospective visitors with attractive plantings and signage.
Prepared by Peter Simone, a landscape architect with Simone Collins, the 65-page master plan outlines a host of recommendations for creating a more inviting, pedestrian-friendly community. Funding came from the Brandywine Conservancy, a consultant on the project, and the William Penn Foundation.
The Chadds Ford supervisors hired the engineering firm of Kelly & Close to assist them in evaluating the plan and guiding them to prepare grant applications to get portions of the plan funded.
“It’s expensive,” acknowledged Chadds Ford Township Open Space Committee Chairman Debbie Reardon. “We’re just going to have to be creative. If we can milk a dry cow, we will do it to get this done.” [something missing in quote]
Serock agreed. “Our goal is to maximize taxpayer dollars,” she said.
Some of the plan’s recommendations include possible zoning changes, adding a traffic light at Route 1 and South Creek Road, and changing Station Way Road from one-way northbound to one-way southbound.
Jim Leader of Leader’s Sunoco, located at the corner of Route 1 and Station Way Road, said that change would hurt his business.
Virginia A. Logan, executive director of the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, said she was initially surprised by that recommendation. “I figured if there was a way to make it work, fine, but we definitely don’t want to negatively impact the community,” she said.
Beth Burnam, a senior planner for the conservancy, agreed, pointing out that the plan is conceptual and subject to change. She also noted that the project is too big to rely and county and township funding and will require state and federal assistance. The number of prospective funding sources increases because the initiative is multi-municipal, spanning two counties and two townships, Burnam said.
Other proposed ideas include installing a parking lot behind the Chadds Ford Post Office at 1620 Baltimore Pike, utilizing the old train tracks and bridge to extend pedestrian walkways to the elementary school in neighboring Pennsbury Township, adding traffic-calming devices, reducing the speed limit, and creating a boardwalk with periodic overlooks from Hank’s Restaurant to the Chadds Ford Historical Society.
As the project advances, Serock said a request-for-proposal (RFP) for a design is in progress, and Burnam said the existing roads would need to be surveyed.
Joyce Crossan Smith, 79, of West Grove, died Friday, April 22, at Chester County Hospital. She was the wife of Leedom “Smitty” Richard Smith, with whom she shared 53 years of marriage.
Born in West Chester, she was a daughter of the late Harry H. and Ruby G. (Robinson) Crossan.
She was a 1954 Graduate of Avon Grove High School and the Bourbon Beauty School.
Joyce was a licensed beautician and served 25 years as a rural mail carrier at Avondale Post Office retiring at age 65. She was a lifelong, active member of Avondale United Methodist Church. She served in many positions including The United Methodist Women’s Group, choir, administrative board, trustee, and Bible School teacher.
Joyce enjoyed playing bingo, traveling on bus trips with her friends, and watching her grandson in sporting events and concerts. She was an avid Phillies fan. In her spare time she loved reading and doing word searches and other puzzles.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by three daughters, Susan E. Smith, Linda S. Mitchell (Bruce) and Patricia J. Evans (William) all of Kennett Square; one grandson, Nicholas Evans; a step-brother Edward Bassett (Mary Ann) of Chadds Ford; half-sisters, Beverly Piskel (Ronald) of Nottingham, and Martha Burgess (Charles) of Newark, and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a twin sister, Janice Marie Crossan; one brother, Richard E. Crossan; and two sisters, Anna Bess Daddario and Evelyn Neff.
You are invited to visit with Joyce’s family and friends from 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, at Avondale United Methodist Church, E 3rd St & Chatham St. Avondale, PA 19311. Her funeral service will follow at 11. Interment will be in Bradford Cemetery in Marshallton. Contributions in her memory may be made to Avondale UMC, PO Box 114, Avondale, PA 19311. Arrangements are being handled by the Foulk & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-869-2685) of West Grove. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com
August “Augie” Joseph DePippo, age 86, passed away peacefully, on April 22, 2016, ,surrounded by his family, at Maris Grove Senior Community. Augie is survived by his wife Emily of 62 and a half years, Maris Grove, Glen Mills, PA, son Joe and his wife Nancy, who reside in Brevard, North Carolina, and son Richard and his husband Doug, who reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is preceded in death by his brother Robert DePippo and his parents, Pasquale and Anna.
Born in Malvern, PA to Pasquale and Anna DePippo, Augie grew up in Toughkenamon, PA, attended Saint Patrick’s School for eight years, and graduated from Kennett High School in 1947. Augie was proud to have been a member of Toughkenamon Toughies football and baseball teams, and he played both soccer and baseball for Kennett High School. He was a veteran and served our Country in the US Army from 1951 through 1953.
In 1953 Augie married Emily DaVia. Augie and Millie were partners with brother Bob and Peggy DePippo in the Brown Derby Restaurant which was first opened by his parents in 1934. They worked together for 40 years and made the Brown Derby a popular local restaurant. The Brown Derby was owned and operated by the DePippo family for sixty years. Augie was also active in the community. He served as a director of Elmwood Federal Savings and Loan, and was elected to the Borough Council of Kennett Square.
After selling the Brown Derby in1994, Augie and Millie retired. In 2000 they moved to the Spruce Creek Community in Summerfield, Florida. During his retirement he was a volunteer at the Southern Chester County Medical Center and at the Soup Kitchen operated by St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Belleview, FL. Augie was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing with Millie and friends. He enjoyed traveling with Millie and together they took many trips abroad and throughout the US. In October 2013, they moved back to Pennsylvania and the Maris Grove Retirement Community where they have resided until his passing.
You are invited to visit with Augie’s family and friends from 6:00 to 9:00Tuesday evening, April 26, 2016 and again from 9:30 to 10:30Wednesday morning, April 27, 2016, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA. His Funeral Mass will follow at 11:00 at St. Patrick Church, 212 Meredith Street, Kennett Square, PA. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution in Augie’s memory , may be made to the Willow Tree Hospice, 616 East Cypress Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348
To view Augie’s online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
Pennsylvania’s 2016 primary election is tomorrow, April 26. Democrats and Republicans will be selecting their respective parties’ candidates for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and state House of Representatives. The winners of those primaries will run in November’s general election.
Additionally, all registered voters in Pennsylvania’s 9th Senate District will be able to vote in the special election for state Senate. Voters do not have to be registered as either Democrat or Republican to vote in that election.
Democrat Marty Molloy and incumbent Republican state Rep. Tom Killion are seeking to take the Senate seat vacated when for former state Sen. Dominic F. Pileggi was election to Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in November.
All registered voters in Concord Township will also be able to vote on a ballot question asking whether Concord should operate under a proposed home rule charter or continue as a township of the second class, operating under the Second Class Township Code.
There are no Republicans on the primary election ballot in Pennsylvania’s 158th Legislative District. However, Perry Bentley and Eric Roe have been running write-in campaigns. Also running a write-in campaign on the Republican side is Democrat Susan Rzucudlo, who is on the Democratic Party ballot.
George A. 'Frolic' Weymouth is shown examining artifacts during the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art's 2012 Memorial Day Antique Show.
The death of George A. “Frolic” Weymouth, an environmental pioneer, a co-founder of the Brandywine Conservancy, an accomplished artist, a passionate horseman and all-around community advocate, has rocked the region – and far beyond.
George ‘Frolic’ Weymouth (left) chats with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the recipient of the Stroud Water Research Center’s 2014 Award for Freshwater Excellence.
During the past decade, Weymouth battled a host of medical woes that required him to add a pacemaker, crutches, even an oxygen tank, but his indefatigable spirit overcame them with good humor. Officials at the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art said Weymouth died the morning of Sunday, April 24, at the age of 79, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
“He was a great man who made this world a better and more beautiful place,” said Virginia A. Logan, executive director of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. “He did everything with such elegance and thought, including preparing for the leadership transition at Brandywine.”
Victoria Wyeth, the granddaughter of Betsy and Andrew Wyeth, one of Weymouth’s closest friends, expressed sincere condolences to all the members of the Weymouth family.
“Frolic Weymouth was larger than life in so many ways and will be greatly missed by the entire Wyeth family,” said Victoria Wyeth. “What he has done to preserve the land and art of the Brandywine Valley is indescribable. On a personal note, I will miss his smile and his wonderfully colored turtlenecks.”
A direct descendent of the du Ponts on his mother’s side, Weymouth also had strong bonds with the Wyeth family. He was married to artist Anna Brelsford McCoy, Andrew Wyeth’s niece, until their divorce in 1979, and Jamie Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth’s son, married Weymouth’s cousin Phyllis.
It was Andrew Wyeth who encouraged Weymouth, also an acclaimed artist, to pursue egg tempera, a technique that produces painstaking detail by mixing egg yolk with pigment. Some of Weymouth’s best-known portraits included his grandfather Eugene du Pont Jr.; opera great Luciano Pavarotti; and Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband .
For several decades, Big Bend, Weymouth’s lushly landscaped 250-acre Chadds Ford estate, served as a venue for countless nonprofit fundraisers. Surrounded on three sides by the Brandywine Creek, it gets its name from being situated at a crook of the Brandywine. In 1969, Weymouth donated his property to the Brandywine Conservancy as its first conservation easement.
Nancy Mohr, an area preservationist, worked with Weymouth on the legendary acquisition of the King Ranch, a massive steer-raising operation. In 1984, the tract, which occupied a chunk of five townships, was threatened with development, and the Brandywine Conservancy and a residents’ group orchestrated the biggest privately funded land-conservation deal in the country. They bought 5,367 acres, protected it with conservation easements, and carved out a 771-acre preserve called The Laurels.
George ‘Frolic’ Weymouth (right) poses with Karl Kuerner Jr. at a 2013 art opening at the Brandywine River Museum. Kuerner, whose homestead was memorialized by Andrew Wyeth, donated the family farm to the Brandywine Conservancy, preserving its rich artistic history.
Mohr fondly recalled Weymouth’s penchant for being creative, romantic, and practical, all while maintaining a great sense of humor. He was “the dedicated engine that propelled the Brandywine Conservancy and the Brandywine River Museum to their nationally recognized achievements,” she said.
Gordon Woodrow, a retired entrepreneur who served as Sen. Arlen Specter’s chief of staff in the 1980s, said that he got to know Weymouth in the early days of the open-space movement – before the birth of the Brandywine Conservancy. He said he interacted with him professionally and sometimes socially.
“Chester County has lost one of its greatest friends,” said Woodrow. “Frolic was a 20th-century man who still appreciated the quiet elegance of the 19th century. He knew dukes, movie stars, captains of industry, governors, Presidents and rascals. Yet no matter who the person might be, when he spoke to you, you were the most important person in the room.”
Woodrow said that when others just worried about an issue, Weymouth grabbed paper and a pen and started to work until the problem was solved. “Then he would give everyone else the credit,” said Woodrow. “He loved his family, his friends, his county, and his country with a passion that was infectious.”
Weymouth, whose signature summer straw hat often shaded his contagious grin, once expressed consternation that the troubled economy made contributions to worthy charities more important than ever – as well as more challenging. He said that he had to restrain himself from yelling, “tightwad!” when people who could afford donations blamed the economy for not opening their wallets.
Weymouth often joked that he always knew that anyone who called him George didn’t know him very well. His carefree moniker originated after his older brother’s foxhound got lost, causing the tot to wail incessantly: “Where’s Frolic? Where’s Frolic?” Weymouth said his exasperated mother found a solution. “To shut him up, I was handed to my brother,” Weymouth said. “It stuck.”
Someone named after a dog might be expected to have a fondness for animals, and Weymouth certainly did. His menagerie at various times included horses, dogs, cats, parakeets, chickens, cows, and fish, and seeing Weymouth’s leading of the carriage event for Winterthur Museum’s Point-to-Point was a welcome annual ritual for area residents.
An equally positive sight: the 62,000 acres of scenic vistas protected under Weymouth’s watch as board chairman at the Brandywine Conservancy, a tenure that spanned nearly 50 years.
“Frolic was an environmental icon whose passion, creativity, and impact regarding the arena of land preservation and protection was surpassed only by his talent, enthusiasm, and accomplishments in the world of art,” said Bernard Sweeney, director of the Stroud Water Research Center. “His legacy regarding environmental stewardship is second to none.”
Many who knew Frolic echoed those sentiments on Sunday.
“We seldom have a chance to know someone who enjoyed the beauty of life, had so much, and gave back more, and we are all richer for his passing our way,” said Woodrow.
